herd health

Southern Plains Bison Pointers Oct 2017

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Bizy-bizy-bizy!    November is fast and busy with the business of planning for winter, marketing, and herd health management strategies. If you missed the fall planting season in the southern plains, you will need to plan for hay and other nutritional supplementation for bison herds. If you (did) plant during the fall ‘dust-in’ season – you’re probably either waiting for a rain or re-planting because of armyworms. It’s nature and there are no victims, only outcomes – and no ‘crying’ in baseball. That being said, and painfully true, the more native habitats are likely emerging for the cool season with … Read more

Southern Plains Pointers: Nov 2015

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Checking boxes: Tis the season to check boxes as you make plans for addressing the health, both financial and physical, of your herd and their habitat. If you would rather refer to their habitat as a farm or ranch, I’m fine with that, but at the end of the day it’s a habitat for many living things, including your bison. One of the most important box checking exercises should happen before you ‘work’ the herd.  If you have self-audited the functionality of your handling system in past works, it serves you well to re-visit what you’ve documented and leave enough … Read more

Southern Plains Bison: May 2015

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  We have been getting so much water where I am, that I have actually observed fish in my pasture! They are Gambusia, and because they are involuntarily migrating to small run-off catches and working their little butts off eating mosquito larvae by intent and design of my system is good, but I am still observing; freaking-fish-in-my-pasture!! I have also observed snails on my grass, and yes, tons and tons of green feed. In nature, every paradigm contains paradox, and when balance is disrupted by an excess of anything, there is payment due. In the case of too much rain, … Read more