Parker County Pasture Walk Highlights Cattle Management
story by Terri Walker, Soil Conservationist
Take 330 acres of grass, a herd of cattle, four agencies, 35 people, and what do you have? The perfect ingredients for a Cattle Management Pasture Walk. Producers met off of Granbury Highway at the Farley Ranch, south of Weatherford, Friday, July 10, 2015, to walk through the ranch looking at cattle, cow pies, grass, and brush, and to hear what Chris Farley, Assistant Director for Texas Christian University’s Ranch Management Program, has done to enhance his cattle operation.
Other speakers included Ron Gill, Extension livestock specialist for Texas AgriLife Extension Service; Jon Green, Parker County Extension agent for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service; and Kevin Derzapf, Cross Timbers Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI) grazing lands specialist. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Parker County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) co-sponsored the event with GLCI and the Texas AgriLife Extension Service.
Although Farley started out as a cow/calf operation, economics drove him to a stocker operation, running yearlings for 120 days, typically beginning in late February/early March through the first week in June. In October, Farley calculates how many yearlings he can run the following year based on the amount of forage that has grown between June and the end of the growing season.
Ron Gill, well known for his understanding of cattle behavior, discussed pressure points, flight zones, and the natural tendencies of cattle, explained how we can use these behaviors to our advantage when moving and working livestock. He discussed the importance of low stress cattle handling and how it can benefit our bottom line and make our job easier.
Due to the large size of the pastures, the Farley family trains steers to follow the sound of a siren mounted on a four wheeler to the open gate, enhancing rotation through the pastures.
Farley also encourages examination of manure, “When the manure is stacking up, the protein level in the grass has gone down.” Rotation through pastures encourages grasses to be in the vegetative or growth phase, which is more nutritious than the reproductive stage.
Kevin Derzapf explained the difference between the growth stages of grass within a grazing exclosure and the grass outside of it. Because the livestock were restricted from grazing inside the exclosure, the grass within had reached the reproductive phase. The grazing exclusion demonstrates the amount of plant growth that has occurred throughout the season. Furthermore, it gives the land manager a visual illustration of how much grass has been consumed outside the exclosure and how much recovery is needed.
With the assistance of NRCS, Farley has cleared mesquite, cedar, and other brush species, installed a livestock watering system, and erected several fences, enabling him to closely monitor and manage grazing in four pastures.
Heartfelt appreciation goes out to Jon Green, Parker County Extension Agent, who has been integral to the success of the Pasture Walks since their inception in Parker and Palo Pinto counties in 2012, working with Bill Donham, retired Parker County NRCS district conservationist (DC), Jacob Shaffer, current Parker County NRCS DC, Kevin Derzapf and others to find interesting locations and willing producers. Those of us who have worked with him will bid him a fond farewell in August as he hangs up his extension service hat after 37 years and moves on to other green pastures.
