Ben Tyler

Where there is water, there is life.

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I had planned to move to Florida a few years ago, but instead I get to see Texas become Florida this year, at least in comparable rainfall. It’s a little more difficult now, to remember that bad drought just a few short years ago. No worries, we’ll be baked by the sun again in the not too distant future. I’m sure we’ll hear endless complaints, prayers and rain-dances at that point, wishing we had some H20. It would certainly behoove a Texas landowner (and improve the bottom line) to consider learning about watershed management practices to maintain balance in your … 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

Native Texas Prairie

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Native Texas prairie is the gift that keeps on giving. Bison and grassland are like a hand in a glove. Native grass species require little water, less fertilizer and last forever if managed properly. Unfortunately, relatively little prairie remains today after decades of plowing, overgrazing and urban sprawl. The dominant species in tallgrass prairie are Eastern Gamagrass, Big Bluestem, Little Bluestem, Switchgrass, Indiangrass and Muhly grasses. Mid to shortgrass species include Sideoats Grama, Texas Bluegrass, Buffalo Grass and Blue Grama. Efforts to restore native prairie can bring lasting benefits to bison and the bottom line. Ben Tyler, www.TexasEcologix.com