Cattle are an important part of the ecology ...
What's Happening at Kerr Ranch: Livestock
May 13, 2015
Overview of livestock programs at the Kerr Center Farm & Ranch: Pineywoods cattle, Angus, Gelbvieh, rotational grazing, electric fence, tractor tire water tank, pasture management, breed selection
Welcome message from author
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
…of the Kerr Ranch.
Around the ranch, cattle graze.
Livestock are moved from paddock...
...to paddock regularly.
The animals' manure returns nutrients to the soil.
Electric fencing is used throughout the ranch.
Solar electric fence charger
A welded base for a hoophouse frame creates portable shade to help cattle deal
with summer heat.
We feed as little hay as possible...
...but filling the barn when the grass grows...
...is still good insurance against cold winters and prolonged droughts.
Pineywoods cattle, a heritage breed, are heat-tolerant...
…have lower input costs...
...and are good mothers...
Angus cattle, with their high growth potential...
...bring a higher price...
...but are less heat-tolerant and require more inputs.
Crossing Angus cattle...
...to Gelbvieh bulls improves heat tolerance...
...but to further increase hardiness, we are experimenting...
...with a Pineywoods x Angus/Gelbvieh cross. Results so far are encouraging...
...but careful record-keeping will show whether one breed has an economic advantage over the other.
Healthy animals and pastures...
...are what we aim for on the Kerr Ranch!
Related Documents
