Ag News and Views: November 1996

November, 1996 Table of Contents News & Views Archive Issues

Economics
Tend to Business by Dan Childs
Tending to business must be done for a different purpose than just to satisfy government. It must be done to provide us as farm managers with much needed information to use in making good management decisions.

Forage
Sericea Lespedeza - A Friend or Foe? by Charles Griffith
Sericea lespedeza is a deep rooted drought tolerant perennial legume that was introduced in the upper south region of the United States from Japan in the late 1890's. Sericea became important as a low quality forage plant in the 1920's and 1930's when it was used for pasture and erosion control.

Horticulture
Hort Hints: November 1996 by Glenn Taylor
Oklahoma is estimated to produce 10 million pounds in 1996, down from last year's crop of 19 million pounds. Texas is estimated to produce 40 million pounds compared to 75 million pounds last year.

Livestock
Winter Feeding by Shan Ingram
One thing we should remember during this difficult time in the cattle production cycle – nutritional needs of cattle have not changed even though the economic picture has. We should not expect cattle to "get by" on less because we have less money!

Research
1996 Bermudagrass Variety Test by Jerry Baker
A new bermudagrass variety test was established on May 14, 1996 at the Headquarters Farm. Included in the trial are four newer commercial varieties, three promising experimental strains, and four older commercially adapted varieties in Oklahoma.

Soils
How Much Detail Do You Know About Your Soil? by Wadell Altom
Those of you that have attended an NF Grazing School or New Cooperator Seminar have heard a discussion about doing a soil inventory. A soil inventory is simply an organized method of collecting and listing selected properties and potentials of the different soils contained within the boundaries of your farm or ranch.

Wildlife
Rock Weir by Mike Porter
A rock weir is a reasonable approach to stabilizing a small to medium sized overfall. Correctly placed rock can provide long-term erosion control.