Quail Restoration Workshop Set for September 4th

Have you ever wondered what happened to quail in Texas? It seems like not to long ago there were bobwhite quail all over the central part of the state. What happened and what can we do to improve the current situation? On Friday, September 4 we will discuss just that at a Quail Restoration Workshop held in Navarro County. The program will be located at the Shadow Mountain Ranch, southwest of Blooming Grove, TX. Starting at 8:30 we will hear from the President of the Western Navarro Bobwhite Restoration Initiative or WNBRI, Jimmy Stewart and Sharron Lane, owner of Shadow Mountain Ranch and WNBRI cooperator. Jim Willis from the WW Ranch in southeast Texas will shed some light on his restoration efforts and then Dr. Dale Rollins, Extension Wildlife Specialist from San Angelo, will talk about the demise of quail and quail biology. Sara Robinson from Audubon Society will discuss the Quail and Grassland Bird Iniative, Jay Whiteside with TPWD and WNBRI Advisor will highlight the WNBRI program. Derek Scasta, Navarro County Extension Agent for Agriculture will then discuss Brush Sculpting and we will view a brush sculpting project on the ranch. Then the group will head to a range restoration sight where cropland was converted to native prairie. Jay Whiteside will discuss Rangeland Planting Techniques and plant ID. Finally, Jeff Goodwin, USDA-NRCS Range Management Specialist, will highlight Grazing management to optimize bobwhite habitat. This looks to be a tip-top program that you will not want to miss. To RSVP and reserve your spot and your meal call 903-654-3075 by September 1st. For the flier log on to http://navarro-tx.tamu.edu –>Publications –> Events –> Quail Restoration Workshop.

Considerations for Calving Season Management

Do you have cows calving year round or do you have calves coming during a set time interval during the year? Common practice is to allow the bull to run with the cow herd year round and to not limit breeding (i.e., Year-Round Breeding and Calving). Ultimately, this results in year round calving and has several management implications that can ultimately impact profit margins. The alternative would be to control the breeding period for 60-90 days and have a time-limited calving season (i.e., Controlled Breeding and Calving). Dr. Jason Cleere, Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Beef Cattle Specialist gave the following considerations at the 2009 Ranch Tour for calving season management.

In terms of Management (Parasite Control, Vaccination, Castration, Dehorning, Implanting, Weaning, etc) in a Controlled program you would process cattle 2-3 times per year versus a Year-Round program where you would process cattle 3+ times annually and ultimately face increased operating expenses. In terms of Animal Nutrition, in a Controlled program you can manage cattle similarly and can match rebreeding and calving periods to periods of optimum forage production. Conversely, in a Year-Round program you would be managing dry cows and wet cows separately due to different nutritional requirements and calving and rebreeding of some cows would occur when forage production was not optimum and increased supplementation is necessary. In terms of Marketing Opportunities, a Controlled program provides a uniform calf crop in terms of age and provides more marketing power. A Year-Round program would have cattle being marketed at different times due to lighter weights among your later calves. In terms of Reproductive Efficiency, a Controlled program allows a producer to identify cows that do not drop a calf every 365 days versus a Year-Round program which provide limited ability to identify cows with low reproductive performance that aren’t earning their keep.

Ultimately, a controlled calving season allows a producer to maximize the utilization of energy and resources on the ranch. It provides increased marketing advantages and power and can enhance profit margins. Controlled calving season also increases the efficiency of the managers time and labor by managing similar situations during set time periods during the year (examples include: supplemental feeding, trips to the sale barn, calving cows, etc). Controlled calving presents challenges in terms of deciding what to do with the herd bulls when not with the cow herd. Options might include: using electric fencing, sharing/borrowing/leasing bulls, running multiple cow herds with different calving seasons and rotating bulls, etc.

County Wheat and Oat Demonstration Plot Yields Are In!
One of the pillars of Texas AgriLife Extension Service programming is field demonstrations that show results. This goes back to the old adage, “Don’t just tell me, show me!”. One of the types of demonstrations that are regularly conducted in Navarro County are variety trials that provide unbiased yield data on certain crops in order to assist producers in selecting the most productive and disease resistant variety for the following year. Today I want to share information and results on our recently harvested wheat and oat demonstration plots.
The wheat variety demonstration was planted with Caleb and Josh Martin in Frost, TX on October 27, 2008 using a John Deere 8300 drill planting at 95 pounds per acre following corn. Fertilizer applications included 100 pounds of 18-46-0 on October 24, 2008 and later topdressed with 350 pounds of 32-0-0. Pest management was accomplished using Lorsban and 2,4-D. For the hard varieties the plots average 64.3 bushels per acre (bu/ac) with Duster having the highest yield with 78.3 bu/ac followed by Fuller at 75.4 bu/ac and Jackpot at 73.8 bu/ac. TAM401 yielded 65.6 bu/ac followed by TAM203 at 65.3 bu/ac and Coronado at 58.6 bu/ac. The bottom two hard varieties were TAM304 at 39.9 bu/ac and Fannin at 39.9 bu/ac. For the soft varieties the plots averaged 54.7 bu/ac with USD 3295 having the highest yield with 84.0 bu/ac followed by Coker 9553 at 61.8 bu/ac followed by LA841 at 55.4 bu/ac. The three lowest yields were Crawford at 46.3 bu/ac, Coker 9700 at 41.8 bu/ac and Heavy Grazer at 38.7 bu/ac. The location of these plots allowed for avoidance of frost damage that severely affected many wheat acres in the county this year. The yields are not adjusted for moisture due technical difficulties with the moisture tester. Thanks to Caleb and Josh Martin for planting and harvesting the 2009 Navarro County wheat variety demonstration.
The oat variety demonstration was planted with the Reed family in Barry, TX on November 20, 2008 u sing a Great Plains Solid Stand 13 Drill at 95 pounds per acre following soybeans. Fertilizer applications included 200 pounds of 32-0-0 and 50 pounds of 18-46-0. The average yield was 87.5 bu/ac with Horizon 201 having the highest yield of 110.0 bu/ac followed by TAMO406 at 95.9 bu/ac and TX7682 at 93.8 bu/ac. The bottom four yields were TX 7473 at 86.7 bu/ac, Horizon 314 at 84.5 bu/ac, TAMO405 at 74.6 bu/ac and TAMO606 at 67.4 bu/ac. All yields were adjusted to 13% moisture for comparison. Thanks to Joe, Scott, Jacob, Russell and Pat Reed for planting the 2009 Navarro County oat variety demonstration. Also thanks to Brandon and Zane Nicholson of Barry for providing the combine to harvest the oat plots and to Dekalb for the use of the weigh wagon used for both wheat and oat plots.

Economical Considerations for Conservation Tillage

Field trials were conducted from 2003 to 2008 at the Stiles Farm Foundation in Thrall, TX to assess the economics of No-Till, Strip-Till and Conventional Tillage farming practices. These trials evaluated the yields and net profits of each practice for several different crop rotations.

CORN/CORN ROTATION
No-Till - Yield 87.62 bu/ac - Net Profit $73.76
Strip Till - Yield 93.79 bu/ac - Net Profit $80.81
Conventional - Yield 93.70 bu/ac - Net Profit $57.09

COTTON/CORN ROTATION
No-Till - Yield 78.14 bu/ac - Net Profit $37.37
Strip-Till - Yield 85.02 bu/ac - Net Profit $47.31
Conventional - Yield 79.35 bu/ac - Net Profit $(-6.91)

CORN/COTTON ROTATION
No-Till - Yield 574.4 #/ac - Net Profit $13.80
Strip-Till - Yield 629.3 #/ac - Net Profit $36.20
Conventional - Yield 678.0 #/ac - Net Profit $19.04

SORGHUM/COTTON ROTATION
No-Till - Yield 649 #/ac - Net Profit $67.67
Strip-Till - Yield 691 #/ac - Net Profit $73.94
Conventional - Yield 737 #/ac - Net Profit $77.29

COTTON/SORGHUM ROTATION*
No-Till - Yield 4739 #/ac - Net Profit $103.10
Strip-Till - Yield 5025 #/ac - Net Profit $112.17
Conventional - Yield 5228 #/ac - Net Profit $110.67

*5 years data due to sorghum blown down in windstorm in 2005

Consider Hay Storage Options Carefully
















Many producers in the county are cutting, raking and baling hay right now. The good spring we have experienced has provided a decent hay crop. It does seem however as if our forages have struggled some due to the hard fall and winter in terms of root storage and recovery and hay yields are a bit lower in terms of biomass than expected. All in all though the hay crop is coming along okay. Now with hay being such a precious and expensive commodity to produce it is important to consider how you will store it in order to minimize losses. A recent University of Tennessee trial compared different methods of storing large round bales of grass hay. The hay was cut and baled in June in Moore County, TN. Bales were weighed at the time of harvest and storage and then weighed again the following January at the time of winter feeding. The following results show the type of storage method used and the percentage hay loss.

• On Ground, No Cover - 37% loss
• On Tires, No Cover - 29% loss
• On Ground, Covered - 29% loss
• Net Wrap, On Ground - 19% loss
• On Tires, Covered - 8% loss
• In Barn - 6% loss

When looking at these percentages lets put them into a little better perspective: 37% loss on a 1,000 pound bale is 370 pounds versus 6% loss which is 60 pounds. That is very significant. Lossess can be significant depending on the type of storage. This information also indicates that storage losses occur from moisture getting into both the top AND bottom of the bales. If hay can't be stored in a barn, the next best option it to at least get the hay off the ground and under a tarp or plastic cover. So as you start to store hay this spring and summer think about storage options and protect your hay investment.

Navarro County Ranch Tour Planned for June 11, 2009

Come join us for a tour of the Fullerton Ranch located in Corbet, TX. The Fullerton Ranch is a Red Angus operation specializing in replacement heifers. The ranch utilizes rotational grazing and puts emphasis on calving season management. Highlights of the tour will focus on weed control options, heifer development, calving season management and marketing alternatives and strategies. From Corsicana, take Highway 31 west and turn south on FM 2452 and travel 1.7 miles, red gate entrance on the left.

Agenda:
5:00 pm – Registration
5:15 – Hay Pasture Weed Control Demonstration Plots – Tuffy Loftin
5:45 – Heifer Development (Live Cattle) and Calving Season – Dr. Jason Cleere
6:45 – Prickly Pear Control: Individual Plant Treatment – Jeff Goodwin
7:10 - Grazing Pasture Weed Control Demonstration Plots – Tuffy Loftin
7:30 – Dinner and Livestock Marketing Strategies – Dr. David Anderson
8:15 pm – Questions and Adjourn

2 CEU’s offered (1 General and 1 IPM)

Cost: $10/head

Call and RSVP at 903-654-3075 by June 8, 2009

ACRE Decision Aid Education Program

A joint program between Navarro and Ellis Counties will be offered to educate producers on the new ACRE program and to show them the recently developed ACRE Decision Aid Program. Dr. Joe Outlaw with the Texas A&M Agricultural and Food Policy Center will be present to present information on the new tool and answer questions. The program will be held on Tuesday, May 19 at the KJT Hall in Ennis, TX (located at 1216 South Paris Street) from 10 am to 12 noon. Lunch will be provided and cost is $5 per person to cover the costs of the facilities and lunch. Please RSVP prior to May 15th at 903-654-3075 or 972-825-5175.