N RANCHING
atural Resources
Texas Range Report R
ANGE PROFESSIONALS ON THE GRAZING LANDS CONSERVA- tion Initiative (GLCI) team provide a snapshot view of range conditions in their areas of the
state, as of late February. They also provide a look ahead to what range conditions might be in the spring of 2015. This report is organized by Jeff Goodwin, state rangeland management specialist, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and the GLCI range management specialists.
High Plains Clint Rollins, rangeland management specialist, USDA- NRCS Most of the Texas Panhandle received timely and
effective rainfall during the 2014 growing season. The one factor that is of concern now is the lack of plant litter on the soil surface. This is primarily due to the severe drought conditions in 2011 and 2012. The land is still in recovery mode. There are strong indications that the area should have moisture this spring.
Southern Rolling Plains Matthew Coffman, rangeland management specialist, USDA-NRCS The outlook for April in the Rolling Plains region
is fairly optimistic. Average rainfall was received in much of the area during the fall and winter. We stand to enter the spring season with a soil moisture profi le for the fi rst time since 2010, which puts us in a good position to start forage growth in the spring.
50 The Cattleman April 2015 Precipitation means optimism, as does a livestock
market like the one we are currently seeing. Landown- ers should remember that 1 season of average moisture is not going to adequately recover rangelands from the previous years of drought. This could be a golden opportunity for recovery of our rangeland resources, rather than focusing on herd numbers that have been held back by the drought. When it comes to restock- ing, consider the long-term viability of the land and forage resources. Be on the lookout for spring weeds. The amount of
bare ground we have now, coupled with existing soil moisture, will most defi nitely give rise to weeds we haven’t seen in some time. If we want to use the soil moisture we have to our full potential for forage, we should consider a spring weed control application to keep forbs and weeds from robbing that available moisture.
With the recently improved conditions we can look forward to a green spring.
Northeast Texas Ryan Walser, rangeland management specialist, USDA- NRCS Pasture conditions in Northeast Texas are good overall, with dormant conditions on warm season
thecattlemanmagazine.com
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