N RANCHING
atural Resources
Texas Range Report
Great rains bring growth on rangelands and pastures. Consider wildfi re preparation and prescribed burn plans for the winter and next spring.
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 June. They also provide a look ahead to what range conditions might be in the summer and fall 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 The Texas Panhandle received above average rainfall
during the spring of the 2015 growing season. Most of the area has recorded 8 to 10 inches above the average mean rainfall for this time of year. Areas thought to be dead due to the severe drought
conditions in 2011 and 2012 continued to produce new vegetative growth this growing season. The amount of bare ground decreased dramatically. The amount of soil surface organic matter and litter will
38 The Cattleman August 2015
increase a considerable amount this growing season. Dirt tanks that are considered wet-weather ponds
were completely full in June, providing livestock with water in areas of large pastures that were under-utilized during dry periods, thus improving grazing distribution. This year, 2015, will go in the record books as an
outstanding forage production year. Forage quality will be at its best this growing season.
Stocker cattle are expected to make high daily gains and body condition scores are expected to be high on bred cows, along with increased calving rates. In the Texas Panhandle, it is hard to anticipate or
predict moisture conditions 2 to 3 months down the road, but this year the soil moisture is excellent from the winter snows and recent rainfall. With the reserve soil moisture, rangeland forage should be in good shape going into the typically dry late summer period. With the increase in forage biomass and continuity
of fi ne fuel, the possibility of wildfi res in the fall and winter of 2015 will be very high. In the Texas Panhandle it is normal to have single-digit humidity combined with winds in excess of 50 mph. The combination of
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