Drought Management

Southern Plains Bison: March 2016

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Southern Plains Pointers March 2016 Green-Up Green-up happens early in the southern plains bringing diversity in the available food for your herd that may not catch your attention. Many become selectable during fleeting successions, while other plants seem to dominate the landscape and by now; look like ‘emerald waves of gain’ [sorry] for those operations blessed with strong cool-season habitats. Another thing that explodes this time of year is parasites. Don’t stress out too much, just keep an eye out and react if need be to the onset of parasite loads. Personally I watch the front end or ‘hump’ for … Read more

Southern Plains Bison: Dec 2015

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Southern Plains Pointers December 2015   This holiday season was nothing short of a roller-coaster for folks and bison in the southern plains. We went from Christmas in the 70’s to spring jet-stream collisions and tornadoes, to drifting snow and ice in a period of a week. This kind of stuff really brings into focus the bison-advantage of resilience and durability.  Our job, as stewards, is to make the performance of natural behaviors possible. Observing your herd’s behavior in times of environmental extremes can aid you in knowing how to manage for it.   Sales, conferences, shows, gatherings and bison-works … Read more

Southern Plains Bison: Sept 2015

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It’s Official! Texas and the southern plains are back in a drought. Just last spring, we were literally under water. Some regions are becoming severe while others are just dang dusty. Unfortunately, the drought is hitting southern plains bison herds at the worst time of year for health and reproduction. Some bison will be resilient on their own, while others will depend on the human element for health.  This year what’s happening is a perfect storm for causing unhappy bison producers for the following reasons. 1] Excessive rains [understatement] in the spring propelled excessive parasites in the habitats. We had … Read more

Southern Plains Bison: June 2015

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Lots of grass, plenty of water; what could go wrong? Right? This year is different than many of the past, and in many ways including any normalcy in nature. We can expect that our native-grazers might also be a bit more mysterious if we don’t observe diligently – ascertain and react. I think the best way to accomplish this is to observe the herd, and their behaviors, with attention to how content they seem. The answers your looking for come in questions: 1] Compared to the herds history; are they consuming an inordinate amount of mineral? 2] Are they getting … Read more

Mexico

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American Bison in Mexico   Photos are owned and taken by Javier Carrera he can be reached on Instagram @heyjavoo   (Like most images on this site, they are clickable) Thank you, Javier, for showing us the beauty of bison in Chihuahua, Mexico                 June 26, 2023 – The American bison reconquers Mexico to fight climate change (story) The largest terrestrial mammal in America contributes to the regulation of the grasslands of the El Carmen reserve (Coahuila), which accumulate large amounts of carbon Dozens of American bison graze in the wide open fields of … 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