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Cattlemen 'weed through' Beef Cattle Short Course |
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By MANDY JOHN | Central Texas Edition |
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August 15, 2002 -- Texas cattlemen got a chance to brush up on the latest beef info last week as the 48th Annual Texas A&M University Beef Cattle Short Course was held August 5-7 at the TAMU University Center and Rudder Tower in College Station. The beef short course is recognized as the state's focal point for beef cattle information and education. The program included a cattlemen's college as well as concurrent mini-symposiums, workshops and live cattle demonstrations. This year the event attracted 1,100 cattle producers and exhibitors throughout Texas and across the country. Agriculture Commissioner Susan Combs was on hand with a welcome to participants as well as addressing some of the opportunities available to Texas producers for beef cattle marketing - including Texas Department of Agriculture's GO TEXAN initiative - a unified marketing campaign that promotes all things grown or made in Texas under one distinct logo. She also discussed the GO TEXAN Partner Program which offers matching funds to Texas businesses and individuals for approved marketing efforts. "'These Are Challenging Times,' the theme of this year's short course, was fitting as the beef industry continues to undergo some of the most dramatic changes ever seen," said Dr. Larry Boleman, Texas Cooperative Extension beef cattle specialist and short course chairman. "More than any other time in history", Boleman said, "all segments of the beef industry - the purebred cattle producer, the cow-calf producer, the stocker operator and the feedlot operator - have joined together in a coordinated effort to share information." This year the popular cattlemen's college included basic and up-to-date training courses covering such topics as breeding systems, grazing management, managing cattle to decrease stress and increase immunity, pesticide applicator training, and basic ranch management. Included in the basic ranch management portion of the training was the Pasture Weed Control Program, presented by Dr. David Bade, professor & Extension forage specialist with Texas A&M University. Weeds can be simply defined as "a plant out of place" or "an undesirable or useless plant for the landowner's goals," Bade said. By these defintions, any plant can be a weed. Weeds are undesirable predator plants in a farmer's pasture because they compete with forage for soil moisture, soil nutrients, sunlight, and space. Weeds usually win the competition, reducing available forage for livestock. If weeds are eaten by livestock, Bade said, their overall diet quality can be affected. Some weeds are even poisonous to livestock and can affect livestock production. This is especially true in a drought year where forage becomes limited and cattle are forcef to consume weeds, he said. According to Bade, another problem is that weed seeds can stay around for years. When moisture, temperature, sunlight or other environmental conditions are right, the seeds will sprout. Once a weed comes up, it has to out-compete with the grass to grow and become mature, which results in more seeds for future weeds. Weeds can also affect the "look" of the ranch. They can make a ranch appear to be unproductive, unprofitable, run-down, trashy, or unkept, he said. When making a decision on what kind of weed control to use, producers usually only think of using chemical herbicides. However, weed control is a planned practice that uses many tools, not just herbicides. According to Dr. Bade, "the best and most economical weed control is a good, thick, vigorous grass stand. Often herbicides must be used to reduce weed populations in the short-term, in order achieve forage stand which will reduce weeds." Weed control measures include mechanical, grazing, chemical herbicides, and biological. Which method or methods of weed control a farmer uses depends on the specific weed targeted and its growth habits. Controlling a weed before seed production will help reduce the amount of seed present in the soil and controlling them when there are only a few will keep them spreading over the whole pasture, he said. Other special considerations to think of when dealing with weed control, he said, include: First, weed control must be used to promote - not hinder - legume growth. Second, some weeds might be desired and left to enhance wildlife opportunities of the ranch. And third, the desire to have wildflowers in the spring would shift weed control to methods which would promote the growth of both wildflowers and forage. These, as well as other ranch goals, could affect weed control methods and timing of weed control, Bade said. |
