"RUSTLING IN THE WEST"
The older method to establish a Ranch west of the Missouri river was to capture "a sick calf or two" and hook it to the milk cow. My honest homesteading uncle was embarrassed when the younger cow-"boys" of the ranch upon the White put a calf from the neighbor with his milk cow.
Attended a meeting of interest to a cowman at county seat Burke. On the agenda was a program on Cattle markets and invasive grasses on the prairie.A cow/calf operaion can now take insurance on the selling price of his calves as soon as they drop. Not a bad idea if you are finacing your land, equipment for the ranch. Somewhere in the vicinity of price guarantee of $117/hundred for the calf I think of 500 pounds. Available now is the grass insurance on the range, corn insurance, alfalfa, and always life/accident to the burial..
The invasive species of grass that has invaded the native praire includes the Cheet or a bromus of two major types one of the red coloured and the other closer to the oat seed type. One avenue of introduction was the feed shipped to the cavalry horses at Fort Niobrara east of Valenitne, Nebraska. The weather pattern of early rains and minimum during the June-August favored this type of grass over the mid-season grasses. A cycle of drouthy conditions favor the cheet and since its growth pattern follows the winter wheat it was a problem in the farm fields of wheat.
Control is by grazing management, heavy in the spring and let the native grasses grow thereafter. A light touch of "roundup" in the fall toprevent the seedling establishment helps. The best natural control is to pull the plug on the rain clouds during the summer.
Another introduced grass is the Brome. It followed the hiway right-of-ways north from other areas and was introduce during the '30's .Good for the early and late grazing. Worthless in the summer. I am using a pasture for the small bunch of buffalo. I note that they can survive on the dry stems of the brome over the hot summer and even into the winter. English type of cows would fail to manage the cycle of brome grass in this prairie range.
Professor Hanson of the State College at Brooking spent time gathering plants, including the grasses from the stepps of Russia. The crested wheat grass was the answer to stablizing the soil after the '30 dust erosion of pastures. I observed too that during the recent drought period here that that grass was spotted throughout the native pastures.
Grass to gas--bio-gas- Like the "Acres of Diamonds" oil for gas for the farm is "in your own back yard."
LH
The older method to establish a Ranch west of the Missouri river was to capture "a sick calf or two" and hook it to the milk cow. My honest homesteading uncle was embarrassed when the younger cow-"boys" of the ranch upon the White put a calf from the neighbor with his milk cow.
Attended a meeting of interest to a cowman at county seat Burke. On the agenda was a program on Cattle markets and invasive grasses on the prairie.A cow/calf operaion can now take insurance on the selling price of his calves as soon as they drop. Not a bad idea if you are finacing your land, equipment for the ranch. Somewhere in the vicinity of price guarantee of $117/hundred for the calf I think of 500 pounds. Available now is the grass insurance on the range, corn insurance, alfalfa, and always life/accident to the burial..
The invasive species of grass that has invaded the native praire includes the Cheet or a bromus of two major types one of the red coloured and the other closer to the oat seed type. One avenue of introduction was the feed shipped to the cavalry horses at Fort Niobrara east of Valenitne, Nebraska. The weather pattern of early rains and minimum during the June-August favored this type of grass over the mid-season grasses. A cycle of drouthy conditions favor the cheet and since its growth pattern follows the winter wheat it was a problem in the farm fields of wheat.
Control is by grazing management, heavy in the spring and let the native grasses grow thereafter. A light touch of "roundup" in the fall toprevent the seedling establishment helps. The best natural control is to pull the plug on the rain clouds during the summer.
Another introduced grass is the Brome. It followed the hiway right-of-ways north from other areas and was introduce during the '30's .Good for the early and late grazing. Worthless in the summer. I am using a pasture for the small bunch of buffalo. I note that they can survive on the dry stems of the brome over the hot summer and even into the winter. English type of cows would fail to manage the cycle of brome grass in this prairie range.
Professor Hanson of the State College at Brooking spent time gathering plants, including the grasses from the stepps of Russia. The crested wheat grass was the answer to stablizing the soil after the '30 dust erosion of pastures. I observed too that during the recent drought period here that that grass was spotted throughout the native pastures.
Grass to gas--bio-gas- Like the "Acres of Diamonds" oil for gas for the farm is "in your own back yard."
LH
posted by Lowdon @ 1/17/2006 08:44:00 AM
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