Agriculture Notable & Quotable: Unsubsidized Farming Works in New Zealand After 80 years of subsidies – paid primarily to the agro-giants – most ranchers and farmers accept as a matter of faith that farming and ranching is unprofitable and unsustainable as a business without government payments. Here in the U.S., we should follow New Zealand’s lead and (1) break up
"Invasion Biology" Like Your Steak Aged 36 Months? Try 17 Years As anyone who has had a grass fed steak in Argentina will tell you, mature beef raised on pasture is unsurpassed in flavor and texture. NOTE: this article initially appeared on WSJ.com on July 10, 2018. It was written by Oliver Griffin. Restaurateur lets his steers wander mountain meadows
Conservation Book Review - "In the Shadow of the Carmens: Afield with a Naturalist in the Northern Mexican Mountains" A reader comments, “It’s like getting a personal tour of a spectacular area that not everyone gets to see. Chapter after chapter, the author put me there with her. You might think it would be boring reading about flora and fauna but this book is never boring! There’s
"Invasion Biology" Aerial Shooting in Big Bend Park Spooks and Angers Hikers On Texas’ public lands, helicopters are routinely used by bighorn sheep managers to kill ‘exotic’ animals and predators – often while counting game. This terrifies wildlife. Years of doing this has taught sheep, deer, elk and pronghorn to associate helicopters with mortal danger. This places extreme stress on animals – especially fawns
American Prairie Reserve Ecosystem Essential: The Prairie Dog Town Prairie dogs are a keystone species. Over 150 other species depend on them as food, and, the habitat which they create. Five species of prairie dogs were once common across the central and western grasslands of North America, likely more than one billion strong. But the widespread destruction of prairie
Bio-Diversity Philanthropist Wyss to Devote $1 Billion to Conserve Habitat From Development If this much private wealth was devoted to conservation based on holistic thinking, it would transform environmentalism. NOTE: this article was originally published to WSJ.com on October 31, 2018. It was written by Timothy Puko. WASHINGTON — One of the biggest philanthropists in U.S. conservation wants to go global
Bio-Diversity The New Outdoor Getaway: Landscapes That Have Been ‘Rewilded’ Predation has been part of natural systems forever. Human predation (hunting) has been present in North America for at least 12,000-years. Hunting shaped the natural systems Europeans found when they arrived around 1500. Rewilding is a great idea, but, restoring ‘wildness’ while excluding hunting is a self-contradiction. And remember:
Cattle Ranching for Profit “This outstanding one week intensive ranching course teaches ranchers how to (1) make a profit, (2) create unity among owners and family and (3) improve their land. The school was started by Alan Savory’s fellow Rhodesian and former partner. NOTE: all content below is from the home page of
Cotton Cottonseed Hummus, Anyone? Texas A&M Researchers Win USDA Approval, Hope to Help Feed the World with Cotton Improving crops to make them more edible is a great idea. Unfortunately GMO technology to this point has focused on increasing herbicide sales. Let us hope that this new approach will focus on sustainability. NOTE: this article was originally published to ExpressNews.com on October 19, 2018. It was written
"Invasion Biology" Sheep on the Mountain A great article from TWA. At Circle Ranch, we have enjoyed considerable success with Desert Bighorn. Here is our take on how to help these majestic animals get re-established in their native range: 1. Increase water. Add a lot of water everywhere. Provide water in more locations and use “big
beepocalypse Monarch Butterfly, Bee Decline Discussed at Capitol Hearing According to the testimony reported below, honeybees and Monarch Butterflies are being harmed by genetically modified crops (GMOs) for two reasons. First, cotton no longer has pollen on which bees can feed. Second, the poisons – Roundup and neonicoinoids – with which GMO crops are grown kill bees, butterflies, many other insects
Bio-Diversity Trump Administration Seeks Authority for More Logging to Fight Fire Danger Decades of neglect have turned much of America’s forests into fire traps. Many need immediate attention to reduce brush, dead trees and overcrowding. Excess trees could be logged to help pay for the cleanup. Aesthetics matter because ugly logging – leaving behind brush piles and stump fields – reduces public support
"Invasion Biology" Conserving Wild Bison: Finding Space for an American Icon Bison might seem to be an obvious addition to wildlife at Texas’ state and national parks, but there are problems to be overcome. Rick Wallen, lead biologist for Yellowstone’s bison program, explains the challenges and successes of managing wild bison in the 21st century.
Ants An Ancient Ant-Bacteria Partnership to Protect Fungus All life is based on interaction with microorganisms. Here is one more example, from the rain forests of South America. We routinely poison microorganisms and insects with fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, antibiotics and many other chemicals. These are considered “safe” if they do not immediately make people or domestic animals sick.
"Invasion Biology" The Most Powerful Tool A very good article on using cattle to improve wildlife habitat. NOTE: this article below was published by Texas Wildlife Magazine as part of their July, 2018 issue. It was written by Steve Nelle.
"Invasion Biology" Lyme Disease’s Worst Enemy? It Might Be Foxes Outbreaks of epidemic diseases and parasites are growing wildlife problems, especially when these are passed to humans. Wildlife managers spend as much time on these problems as on any other aspect of wildlife husbandry. Predators control these diseases, which is another reason that predator removals are such a huge mistake.
Artificial Beaver Dams Artificial Beaver Dams - A Visual Tour of Triple Creek Triple Creek Restoration on Myers Creek, near Chesaw, Washington. The video producers report, “Mimicking beaver dams, we installed vertical wood posts as a foundation and then weaved together dogwood, willow, and maple to create artificial (analog) beaver dams. The purpose was to help raise an eroded stream bed and reconnect
"Invasion Biology" Pando—the Earth’s Most Massive Organism—Is Shrinking Declining forests and rampant forest fires are symptoms of bad forest management. In the face of these escalating symptoms, politicians, bureaucrats and agencies offer their catch-all excuses — global “warming” and “invasive species.” To combat the ecological illness, they blame their usual suspects and offer their usual catch-all solutions — apply more
desert bighorn Using Models for Desert Bighorn Conservation Circle Ranch’s tips for bighorn restoration: * Increase water. Add lots of free water everywhere. The more locations, the better. Make drinkers and supplies big enough to support large cattle herds, multiple wild species, and, useable by quail and small animals. There is no such thing as too much water
Bio-Diversity The Silence of the Bugs The hybridization of plants and animals is as old as agriculture and it is a good thing unless it attacks nature. Instead of modifying plants to withstand weeds and parasites the international agro-giants like Monsanto/Bayer together with our own universities and agencies, have turned GMOs into a driver for
Bio-Diversity Elk Country Chronicles - The Sounds of Elk Country Volume 6 Great elk video from Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.
Big Bend Ranch State Park Along the Rio Grande, a Hot Spring and a Warm Welcome The Rio Grande Valley below El Paso and above Del Rio is one of the unique areas of the United States. NOTE: this post was published to NYTimes.com on February 7, 2018. The author is Courtney Bond, Senior Editor at Texas Monthly. The border between the United States and
Bio-Diversity Book Review: Microbia ... The Many Tiny Worlds Among Us These principles are as applicable to rangeland and wildlife management as they are to home gardening. NOTE: this article initially appeared on WSJ.com on July 12, 2018. It was written by Helen Bynum. Journalist and food writer Eugenia Bone confronts angst, loneliness, bemusement and jealousy as a 55-year-old going
"Invasion Biology" A&M Cotton Research Could Open New Front in War on Weeds Hybridization of plants and animals is as old as agriculture and a good thing unless it attacks nature. Instead of producing modified plants that withstand weeds and parasites the international agrogiants like Monsanto/Bayer turned GMO’s into a driver for their toxic chemical sales. Industrial Agriculture is stuck on
