South Texas Ranching...

                                 Putting it all Together
        
                            By Stan Reinke, Wildlife Biologist, NRCS, Victoria, Texas

    Lionel Lopez and Lionel Lopez, Jr. had a clear picture of what they wanted their ranch to look like and what they wanted it to produce.   Their first priority was to raise high quality white-tailed deer.  Their second goal was to produce livestock profitably.  They also wanted to use livestock to help manipulate the grassy vegetation to maintain and improve habitat for deer and quail.  With the help of their foreman, Ruben Villareal, they set out to accomplish these objectives.
    Shortly after purchasing the property, the Lopez family contact the local Natural Resources Conservation Service for technical assistance in developing their plan for the future.  At that time, much of the property was so brush invested that it could only been seen on foot, and a machete had to be used to get through the dense thorn-scrub brush.
    Erasmo Montemayor (then range conservationist in the Rio Grande City NRCS field office) evaluated the ranch and did numerous range surveys.  He helped the owners delineate soils and range sites, identify fencing and watering needs, and design brush management patterns.  He also provided stocking rate recommendations and resource management advice.  He then assisted the Lopez family with development of a long-range comprehensive plan for their ranch.
    The plan included cross fencing, water development, and brush management.  Brush management had to be carefully planned in order to leave an adequate amount of woody vegetation to enhance deer habitat.  Great care was taken to ensure that habitat diversity was achieved by clearing and leaving brush in each of the various habitat types.  Since deer and "edge" animals, brush was maintained throughout the ranch in strips, blocks, and patterns.

Entrance to Las Novillas Ranch in South Texas.  Strips and patterns of brush were cleared (background) while other areas were left untreated (foreground) to enhance wildlife habitat for deer.

    After the brush management work was completed, some of the cleared areas were seeded to buffelgrass.  These areas are grazed, hayed, and used for seed harvest.  The rest of the cleared areas were disked in patterns to enhance native forb and grass production and to to encourage taller brush species to resprout.  This created lush browse conditions for the deer herd and high quality habitat for quail.
    Prior to implementing the resource management plan, Las Novillas Ranch had a buck/doe ratio of 1:5.  To assist with deer herd management, a high fence was constructed around the ranch.  This helped control the deer population and enhance deer quality.  For several years the owners did not allow bucks to be harvested, but some does were harvested.
    In the fall of 1998, a deer census showed that deer population numbers had reached the desired level and the buck/doe ration had bee adjusted to 1:2.  By using high fences, brush management, and selective deer harvest techniques for several years, Lopez family accomplished its objective.  Based upon the census, the ranch was opened to commercial hunting for the first time in the fall of 1998.
    In order to maintain better control of the hunts and the numbers and kinds of deer harvested, the ranch decided to sell three-day package hunts.  Excess deer are harvested by family and friends near the end of the hunting season.  The first-year hunt was very successful...hunter success was 100%.  One trophy class buck was harvested and another mature buck was harvested that field dressed an impressive 180 pounds.  Mature doe weights are consistent each year.  These are indicators of herd health, habitat management, and nutritional quality of the forage and browse.   Native forage and browse species on the ranch provide most of the nutritional requirements of the deer herd, but they are also supplemented with food plots and high protein pellets.

Cows, grass, and brush are integral parts of the overall ranching and wildlife operation on Las Novillas Ranch near Rio Grande City, Texas.

    Cattle are used on the ranch for profit and as tools to manipulate the grassy vegetation to enhance wildlife habitat.  A base herd of 80 commercial Beefmaster cows is maintained.  The ranch is divided into 10 pastures for management purposes.  The cow herd grazes in a one-herd, four-pasture rotation grazing system.   When conditions are good and excess forage is produced, steers are purchased and graze in a five-pasture rotation grazing system.
    South Texas is a harsh and demanding environment.  Rainfall and temperatures are unpredictable and highly variable.  This requires flexibility in resource management.  On Las Novillas Ranch, one pasture is always maintained as a reserve and can be allocated to the cows or steers depending on which group needs the extra forage.  There are years when no steers are purchased because first allocation of all forage is for the deer and cow herd.
    Lionel Lopez, Lionel Lopez, Jr. and their foreman, Ruben Villareal, have worked hard to achieve their objectives on Las Novillas Ranch.  Their wise planning and dedicated efforts have made this ranch a model for others to follow.   They recently received the "Excellence in Rangeland Management" award from the Texas Section Society for Range Management in recognition of their achievements.   The ranch is divided into 10 pastures for management purposes.  The Lopez family has implemented a management philosophy that enables their natural resources to continue to improve.  The land, the wildlife, and the livestock reflect the balance needed to sustain the range and its inhabitants.

Kentucky Grazing School...
                           A Team Approach

By Dr. Garry Lacefield, Extension Forage Specialist,
University of Kentucky

    Kentucky is one of 14 states now conducting "Grazing Schools."  The Kentucky Grazing School is patterned after the very successful Missouri school.  Support from all sponsors has been excellent.   Participation and encouragement from students has been overwhelming.
    Two three-day schools are offered each year.  The spring school is usually held in the central part of the state, and the fall school is usually in the western part.  The school features both classroom and field activities.  Field activities include plant identification, estimating pasture yield, fence building, paddock design, water development, and many other related topics.  The school is so popular, the overall program has been expanded to offer one-day schools in several locations throughout the state.

Fence building demonstration at the fall grazing school at Princeton, Kentucky.

    The success of these schools is a result of the need, interest, and opportunities for grazing throughout the state.  A team of dedicated individuals has worked harmoniously to develop, refine, and improve the Kentucky Grazing Schools.  Members of the this team include representatives from University of Kentucky, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Kentucky Department of Agriculture, Kentucky Forage & Grassland Council, Kentucky Cattlemen's Association, and the livestock/agricultural industry.

For more information concerning Kentucky Grazing Schools, contact:

          Dr. Jimmy Henning at 606/257-3144
                        jhenning@ca.uky.edu
          Dr. Garry Lacefield at 270/365-7541, Ext. 202
                        glacefie@ca.uky.edu

CALL FOR PAPERS

NATIONAL CONFERENCE
ON GRAZING LANDS

December 5-8, 2000
Bally's Las Vegas
Las Vegas, NV

You are invited !

National Conference on Grazing Lands Hosted by:

National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD)
Grazing and Public Lands Committee
Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI)
National GLCI Steering Committee
Many other sponsoring organizations

Purpose: Heighten awareness of the economic and environmental effects of proper grazing land management. 

Target Audiences:

• Consumers
• Conservationists
• Environmentalists
• Urban-based resource interests
• Grazing land managers
• Land owners
• Others interested in effective natural resources management
  

Conference sponsors are accepting abstracts for oral and poster papers in the following categories:

• The building of partnerships between agricultural, grazing and urban communities.
• Successful "cutting edge" management technologies for grazing practices.
• Economic and public policy implications of grazing.
• The optimizing of grazing land health for environmental and social benefits.
  

All accepted papers are eligible for publication in the conference proceedings.   To submit your abstract, prepare a 400 word, or less, description of your presentation (indicate oral or poster).  Include your name, mailing address, phone and fax numbers, and email address with the abstract.  Submit abstracts by mail, fax, or email to:
             John W. Peterson, NCGL Program Manager
             9304 Lundy Court
             Burke, VA 22015-3431
             Phone: 703-455-6886
             Fax: 703-455-6888
             Email:  jwpeterson@erols.com  

DEADLINE for Abstracts - April 1, 2000

Abstracts will not be returned.  Notification of accepted abstracts will begin in June, 2000. 
Presenters are responsible for providing their own travel, registration and other expenses for the conference.

Are You Interested in Receiving More Information on the Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative?

Contact these affiliated organizations:

[TOP]
[Who's Involved] [GLCI News] [Schedule] [Free Publications] [Links]
[GLCI Newsletter Back Issues] [National Conference Information]
[HOME]