Wilson County Beef Cattle Program Slated For Sept. 17 In Floresville

Aug 26, 2014

By Paul Schattenberg

The Wilson County Fall Beef Cattle Educational Program has been set for the evening of Sept. 17 at the Wilson County Show Barn, 435 U.S. Highway 97 East in Floresville.

The program is free, and presented by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Wilson County Farm Bureau.

“This educational program will address many of the key issues associated with the future of the cattle industry and recovery from the extensive depopulation of herds locally and in other parts of the state due to the lingering drought,” said Bryan Davis, AgriLife Extension agent for agriculture and natural resources, Wilson County.

Registration will be from 6-6:30 p.m., followed by a short welcome and presentations to begin at 6:40 p.m.

The first presentation will be “Beef 2025: The Next 10 Years,”by Dr. Rick Machen, AgriLife Extension livestock specialist, Uvalde.

The second presentation will be “Stocking Rate: The Key to Grazing Distribution and Forage Preference,” by Dr. Robert Lyons, AgriLife Extension range specialist, Uvalde.

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Video: WARNING! Rough Start To Breeding Season!!

WARNING! Sheep Breeding Season Begins With A Bang! Breeding season is officially underway at Ewetopia Farms, but it didn’t exactly start the way we planned!

This vlog begins with us sorting through our rams to find the perfect match for a customer’s breeding program. What should have been routine quickly turned dangerous when one of our more nervous rams panicked. In seconds, Arnie’s knee was injured, and then I was slammed hard onto the concrete floor — both of us taken down by one ram!

Thankfully, it was just bruises, but it’s a reminder of how unpredictable and powerful mature rams can be. Once we recovered, it was time to get back to the real work — the start of breeding season.

We sorted the ewes into four breeding groups (two Suffolk and two Dorset), checking parentage as they ran through the chute, deworming those that needed it, and setting aside thinner ewes for session two of breeding season in a month’s time.This staggered approach keeps lambing organized and prevents overcrowding in the barns.

From rogue rams to the excitement of new breeding groups, this episode is full of action. Stay tuned for the next vlog, where we’ll share how we chose the rams for each group!