Ag News and Views: August 2008

Food plots and feeders are intensive management practices and, while widely used, they are not real habitat improvement practices in most cases. Usually, they only work as supplemental feeding to concentrate wildlife populations for improved harvest success or observation.

Historically, feeder calf prices decline as weight increases. That relationship of price to weight still exists, but it has narrowed considerably due to the high price of corn and feedlot cost of gain. Feedlots and the market are telling us to make calves heavier at home before selling them as feeder calves.

How much is a pecan tree worth? This question comes up often in Oklahoma and Texas, and can arise for several reasons. To help fill this information gap, several agricultural consultants at the Noble Research Institute created a pecan valuation fact sheet entitled "Assessing the Value of Pecan Trees."

Livestock producers in the southern Great Plains should not overlook johnsongrass in their pastures. For one thing, under certain conditions it can kill your cattle. Another reason not to overlook johnsongrass is that it is excellent forage - if you can get over the fact that it can kill your cattle!

With winter small grain (wheat, rye, triticale) prices near or above all-time highs, producers need to consider adding these crops to their enterprise. Before they try to enter this market, they must be sure they can produce the crop and get it to a profitable market.

I'm confident that any yard can look as good as a golf course if careful consideration is given to a few key turf management factors. With fall approaching, the following tips can help finish this growing season strongly and prepare you for next year.