Championship titles evidence of Rother's grass-growing talents

By MONETTE TAYLOR | South Central Texas Edition

Daniel Rother of Hallettsville was one of the first Texans to become a certified Tifton 85 grower in 1992, and since then he has won many awards for his production. -- Staff photo by Taylor

August 7, 2003 -- The fields of lush, Tifton 85 grass should be the first tip-off to an extraordinary man.

Daniel Rother of Hallettsville was one of the first three producers in Texas to travel to Tifton, Ga., to become a certified Tifton 85 grower in 1992. Since that time, the awards at grass shows have continued to pour in at the Rother's farm. In 1997, his Tifton 85 grass won the championship awards at the county, state and national levels.

Tifton 85 is a hybrid bermuda grass that was released by Dr. G.W. Burton in 1992, along with the University of Georgia Coastal Plains Experiment Station in Tifton, Ga., and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service. Because of its hardiness, it produces high yields of high quality forage, according to Tifton 85 literature.

Born and reared on a farm near Hallettsville, Rother started out, with his wife Dorothy, raising cotton, corn and tomatoes in 1957. They, also, have cattle on several properties, and use part of the grass they raise to feed the livestock. Now, others wanting the "high quality forage" seek out Rother to purchase his sprigs.

Rother started with about six acres planted in the grass, and has continued to enlarge his acreage to the present 40 acres. He and his oldest son plant the sprigs from February through June, and again in the fall, from September through November.

When someone purchases the grass, Rother and his crew take the equipment and plant the sprigs for the property owner. One of the locations he remembers most was the ranch of country music legend George Strait. Although Strait was on tour at the time, his ranch foreman made sure that Rother and his group were well fed and housed while putting in the grass, laughed Rother.

-- Staff photo by Taylor

He said that most of their sales are in the spring, and that it usually doesn't take but a few months for the grass to spread. Once the grass ... which spreads by above-ground runners and, rarely, underground stems ... reaches a point where there are six "joints," it is ready for harvest. Once it gets longer, the grass starts to lay over on the ground, so producers must be vigilant to harvest it at the right time.

Rother explained that Tifton 85 contains nutrients that outweigh other grasses, and one of his crops was tested at over 20 percent protein.

According to Dr. David Bade, Extension forage specialist for Texas A&M University, producers who are able to provide nutrients from a forage system have the more profitable operations. Bade noted that cow/calf operations all profit from the grass.

Rother explained he plans to continue with the Tifton 85, along with his Jiggs and Coastal Bermuda grasses, because he "just likes good grass." Too, Bade told him that until something better comes along, Tifton 85 is the best grass you can grow.

The greatest part of having a grass farm is the people he's met on different ranches, said Rother. The hardest part is trying to "out guess" the weather.

In 1978, the Rother family received a Texas Department of Agriculture Heritage award for having property in the family over 100 years, and if Rother has his way, he's hoping that continues for another 100 years.