ARCH IS AN IMPORTANT MONTH TO INVEN- tory your pastures for one of our most important cool season peren-
nial grasses — Texas wintergrass. • Also known as needlegrass or speargrass • Grows in the winter months and is an excel- lent source of protein for livestock • A native bunchgrass that can grow under harsh grazing conditions • Can supply good quality grazing for several months when pastures have a heavy stand of mesquite and brush • In some areas, solid stands of Texas win- tergrass are used by producers as breeding pastures • Can reduce costly feed bills when adequate moisture is available and if managed properly with rotational grazing More information can be found at plants.
Editor’s note: Jeff Goodwin and Kent Ferguson, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), are providing us with plant identifi - cation photo stories to help ranchers identify those forb, forages and brush species growing in the pastures.
Photos by Ricky Linex, USDA NRCS Uvalde, and Kent Ferguson