Course Outline

1. Introduction
2. Why do we want to ranch?
3. What kind of place do we want?
4. Plant growth and grazing
5. Characteristics of livestock classes
6. Animal Nutrition
7. Hay production and use
8. Pasture division and rotation
9. Fences
10. Brush and weed control
11. Animal health concerns
12. Monitoring grazing activities and estimating stocking rates

Course Schedule

1. Introductions
2. Why do we want to ranch?  An overview of small ranchers:
1. Average age of Texas farmers is 56.9 years, and 31% are over 65. Only 5.4% are less than 35.  Half of them report that something other than farming is their main source of income.
2. In 1960, a 200 cow operation would return a pre-tax return of $20,000.  That would be equivalent to $160,000 today.  Today, 200 cows can generate $35,000.  3% of farmers produce 60% of food. 
3. 8% of cowmen have over 100 head and they produce 50% of calves and average 236 head.  92% have less than 100 head and produce 50% and average 21 head.
4. Most bucks don’t sell for $2500 or more.  100 ac. at 6 acres/deer=16 deer.  That could be 3 bucks, 8 does, and 5 fawns.  If you want to kill 25% of bucks, what do you do?
3. What kind of place do we want?  We are going to consider:
1. Distance from town, absentee
2. Dependable water and power-creek or ponds, city or well?
3. Fields, trees, biodiversity
4. Roads
5. Fences & Corrals
4. Plant growth and grazing.  Characteristics of Grasses and Forbs:
1. Annual or perennial
2. Warm or cool season
3. Growth
1. Need water & sunlight and nutrients
1. Water-does not percolate thru bare ground, it needs insects, and roots
2. Sunlight-taken up through leaves and energy is stored in leaves and roots
3. Temperature
4. Time
4. Graze, overgraze, and rest
5. Characteristics of livestock classes:
1. Cows
1. Large, expensive, take a long time to pay off, birth at 2 or 3 years
2. Eat grass
3. Require good corrals and fair fences
4. Usually calve in spring, can have trouble with dystocia with heifers
5. Breed when preg (nursing?), so need body scores(?)
2. Horses
1. Larger than cows, eat grass
2. Allergic to barb wire, need good stables & fences
3. Difficult to purchase
4. Require a lot of maintenance on small places-feed, exercise, groom, shoos, trailer, worming  
3. Sheep
1. Small, some have wool and some don’t, give birth at 1 year in late spring
2. Eat 60% short grass, 40% weeds & some shrubs
3. Require short fence w/out holes and fewer corrals than cows.
4. Shearing & parasites and predators may be problems
5. Getting them bred is not a problem
4. Goats
1. Boer or Angora, will talk about Boer.  Birth at 1 year
2. Eat 60% shrubs, 40% weeds and grass
3. Require good short fences (net) and higher corrals than sheep
4. Parasites and predators are a problem
5. Getting bred is not a problem
5. Whitetail deer
1. Eat 60% shrubs, 40% weeds and grass like a goat.  Babies in July.
2. Require habitat for hiding
3. Require population management
4. Most feeding is baiting and contra(?)
6. Animal nutrition
1. All animals require at least 2.5-3% of body weight per day.  At least 25# for a cow, 3# for sheep or goat, smaller % for horses.
2. For Grade 5, about 6% for maintenance of dry animal and 10% for maintenance for pregnant and a little more to grow out the young.
3. Deer require much higher protein requirement because of digestive system.
7. Hay production and use
8. Pasture division and Rotation
9. Fences
1. Corner posts
2. Net wire-best for sheep and goats and perimeter fences
3. Barbed wire-4 or  5 strand
4. Electric fence-temporary or permanent
10. Brush and weed control- ongoing process, have picture and goal in mind
1. Mesquite-beans long-lived, spread by grazing and see, have to kill root
2. Cedar-blue and red berry, spread by seed and birds, seeds short-lived.  Have to kill root on red berry.
1. Goats
3. Prickly Pear
11. Animal health concerns
1. Vaccination
2. Castration and dehorning
3. Worming
4. Flies
5. Pregnancy testing
12. Monitoring grazing activities and estimating stocking rates
1. Before and after photos
2. Individual records