"Texas History" Book Review: The Son - A Great Texas History Here is a typical review of The Son, by Philipp Meyer, “a multi-generational story that takes on the myths of Texas history as well as American History”. Have you ever felt as a reader that you were reading a novel of near perfection? A book where every sentence, paragraph,
Bio-Diversity Farmers Put Down the Plow for More Productive Soil Holistic farming concepts are completely portable to rangeland management. The goal of all ranch managers should be the increase of soil fertility. From this, all else will follow. Article originally posted to NYTimes.com on March 9, 2015 FORT WORTH — Gabe Brown is in such demand as a speaker that
Conservation Are Parasites Good for Animal Health? The the word “parasite” often reflects misunderstandings about the interconnected nature of life. There are 10 times as many micro-organic cells and 250 times as many micro-organic genes in our bodies, as human cells and genes. We would quickly die without these, and yet they are considered parasites.
"Invasion Biology" Game Cameras - February 2016 In far-West Texas, a coalition of government agencies, agricultural universities and conservation organizations has decreed that on public lands more than half of the species pictured below should be severely reduced or removed altogether to help bighorn, pronghorn and deer. The coalition claims that all “exotics” and many “natives”
Bio-Diversity Grain Traders Rejecting New Monsanto Soybeans Monsanto is in trouble because it released seeds without EU approval. Why would it: New poisons and associated seeds are routinely approved without testing. What should upset everyone is this: “The latest Monsanto seeds contain new genetic technology that allows soybean plants to withstand a new and more powerful herbicide,
News War Songs of The Plains Obituary: Joseph Medicine Crow, Reprinted from The Economist Joseph Medicine Crow, last war chief of the Crow tribe, died on April 3rd, aged 102 THEY were on a path over the hills when Joseph Medicine Crow saw the horses: 50 of them. It made him pause, for there was never
"Invasion Biology" What Caused the Spread of Saltcedar and the Decline of Cottonwood Along the Rio Grande? As this article explains, cottonwood decline was caused by river dams which ended seasonal flooding, not by an “invasion” of saltcedar. NOTE: article was originally published in the Hudspeth County Herald April 1, 2016 In October 1916, dignitaries gathered at the Rio Grande, near present-day Truth or Consequences, New
"Invasion Biology" Cows and Elk - A Symbiotic Relationship When grazed properly, cattle can be very beneficial for elk. Cattle are similar in their grazing impact to bison; bison and elk were mutually dependent for many thousands of years in North America. NOTE: originally published in HMI In Practice Newsletter May June 2013
bees EPA Says Pesticide Harms Bees Bees are common in the deserts of the Southwest, where wild plants need them and wildlife needs the plants they pollinate. Harm done to bees is just one reason why range poisons are so dangerous to wildlife and habitats. NOTE: Post originally appeared on SAExpressNews.com on January 6, 2016
"Invasion Biology" Winter 2016 Game Photos A basic disagreement between Big Wildlife and holistic thinkers like Aldo Leopold is whether multiple species compete with each other or compliment each other. Another is whether predators like wolves, lions, coyotes & bobcats harm prey species, or, as Aldo Leopold observed, benefit them by getting rid of sick animals
"Invasion Biology" Eyewitness Account of Pronghorn, Bison, Elk, & Mule Deer Sharing Desert Ranges According to invasive species believers, including TPWD, bison and elk should be removed from our state parks and wildlife management areas because they don’t belong and because they “compete” with, and “harm” desert bighorn sheep and pronghorn. Here is an eyewitness account of these species sharing range in the
"Invasion Biology" Feral Hogs Pegged as One of Top Contaminators of San Antonio River Since Europeans arrived in Texas, pigs have roamed our river bottoms, fattening on acorns and mast and in so doing, stimulating plants. Before the Civil War, these were gathered seasonally, slaughtered and the meat provided the primary cash crop for Hill Country farmers. At the time of the Civil War,
Cattle Restoring Deserts: The Grasslands Story Using the capital markets to further conservation through holistic ranching. The Grasslands Story …by Jim Howell Grasslands LLC is a for profit ranch/farm management company. Our company was originally a part of the Savory Institute, founded in 2009 by myself and my wife, Daniela, Tony Malmberg, Allan Savory, Jody
chemicals Contaminating Our Bodies With Everyday Products Big Wildlife is interdependent with the agrochemical giants. Their poisons are harming human health, and even worse, destroying the soil fertility on which civilization depends. NOTE: post originally appeared on NYTimes.com on November 28, 2015 In recent weeks, two major medical organizations have issued independent warnings about toxic chemicals
Bio-Diversity The Corn-Fed Albatross Called Ethanol Ethanol is a boondoggle foisted on the American taxpayers by so-called conservatives, in order to benefit their agribusiness cronies. The ethanol program is an economic and environmental disaster. NOTE: post originally appeared on WSJ.com on January 5, 2016 In the past two presidential-primary seasons, candidates crisscrossing Iowa
"Invasion Biology" A Hint of Danger in the Forest Proliferation of feral pigs is not limited to Texas. Regulations against selling free-range pigs as food and regulatory red tape that has driven small processors out of business are why we have the feral pig “problem.” Free-ranging pigs have provided humans with nutritious, safe, enviornmentally sustainable meat for
"Invasion Biology" State of Texas - Resolution H.R. No. 2159: Legislation to Change the "Exotic" Classification of Elk Elk are a Texas native which , before Europeans, roamed our state from north to south and east to west. For years a group of us have attempted to remove the “exotic” classification which has led to so much perversity in the treatment of this animal. In the last legislature, despite
2016 Six Trends You Can’t Afford to Miss if You’re in Agriculture NOTE: post originally appeared on SouthwestFramPress.com on November 5, 2015. Lowell Catlett doesn’t dismiss the obstacles facing agriculture today. He chooses to look beyond them. “There has never been a better time to be in agriculture,” he says. “There has never been a better time to live in
"Invasion Biology" Parks and Wildlife Begins Reducing Deer Population at Texas Mountain Ranch CWD and high-fenced deer go hand in hand. Chronic Wasting Disease was created in a government-funded, high-fenced experimental wildlife facility near Fort Collins, Colorado. They won’t say what was being done to these confined animals, but instead spin the story to imply CWD appeared spontaneously. The
Biodiversity Eat Your Cake and Have It Too We have learned that the best tasting food is the most nutritious, and that good taste depends on soil fertility – not to be confused with fertilizer. Because soil fertility, nutrition and delicious food are part of the same thing: “Designer” coffee and chocolate and many other better tasting foods could
Chronic Wasting Disease Deer Hunted in Medina, Uvalde Counties Tests Positive for Chronic Wasting Disease “The rules developed by TPWD to deal with CWD accelerate the proliferation of high fences and their associated industrial deer raising methods. These practices both caused, and now spread CWD.” NOTE: post initially appeared on KSAT.comFebruary 5, 2016 State Creating New Management Plan A new case of chronic wasting
food safety Organic vs. Non-GMO Labels. Who’s Winning? The organic qualifications are easily gamed and often doubtful. Many genuine small organic producers are blocked by red tape. GMO safety is meaningless without a discussion of the safety of chemicals, like glyphosate (Roundup) with which most GMOs are inseparable. NOTE: post initially appeared on WSJ.com on December 8,
Cattle Desert Grassland Restoration: Using Cattle to Stop Erosion Second in a series on “animal impact”, this video shows cows being used to re-grow grass in deadspots, and how cows can help stop erosion by healing gully headcuts. Animal Impact Made Easy #2 from Christopher Gill on Vimeo.
Hunting Excellent Numbers Highlight Quail Season The winter of 2015-2016 was the best in many in Hudspeth County, far-West Texas NOTE: post originally appeared on SAExpressNews.com on January 7, 2016 Excellent bird numbers attributed to wet weather A wet spring, wet winter and few summertime temperatures topping 100 degrees have provided the right
Bio-Diversity Restoring Desert Grasslands with Intensive Grazing There are lots of ways to get animal impact onto ranges. Australia: Same idea, smaller scale at Circle Ranch, in the high-desert mountains of far-West Texas: Animal Impact Made Easy #1 from Christopher Gill on Vimeo. Animal Impact Made Easy #2 from Christopher Gill on Vimeo.
