RANCHING Business


RCR L1 Dom Aurum 08153


BULLS FOR SALE All bulls come with EPDs,


ultrasound data and fertility tested.


Loyd Whitehead Cell 325-234-5115 Office 325-396-2384


Randy Wood 325-396-4911


Mark McClintock 325-650-4223


5749 Rocking Chair Lane • Ft. McKavett, TX 76841-2007 Certified Brucellosis-Free 5514


pasture may be composed of several different soil types, each with different plant communities, he says. In addition, the proportion and abundance of species changes over time because of weather, seasons and management. “The mix of species and their abundance within


each plant community affects present and future pro- duction for livestock or wildlife — and the health of the ranch,” Ellis says. Despite its multi-faceted infl uence, stocking rate is


LIVESTOCK EQUIPMENT


often overlooked or neglected. “Producers tend to set the stocking rate and then


leave it, without making adjustments for changing con- ditions,” Ellis says. “Because rangelands are dynamic systems, this approach can create problems, including long-term damage to the land.” Having too many animals on the land increases


Manual Chutes, Hydraulic Chutes, Headgates, Calf Tables, Palpation Cages, Tubs and Alleys, Open Sweeps and Alleys and Panels


Protection, KS 67127 • 1-800-345-7434 email: fi lson@unitedwireless.com www.fi lsonlivestockequip.com


60 The Cattleman March 2015


competition for high-quality forage plants. Livestock have food preferences and will continue to revisit the most palatable species until those plants are damaged or even grazed out of existence. Then, the livestock will turn their attention to the next most palatable plants. If the process isn’t interrupted, plant diversity and vigor decrease. When vegetative cover is lost, rainfall tends to run across the soil surface, causing erosion instead of percolating into the soil profi le. “Chronic overstocking, if allowed to continue for


a period of years, can cause range deterioration and damage future productivity,” Ellis says. For example, as range sites degrade from good con- dition to fair condition, production decreases to half on


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