By Marty Morgan, Wise County Agriculture Agent Well, here in Wise County and all over North Texas, we have been experiencing trees of many types that are dead or dying. On a weekly basis I witness trees like post oaks, red oaks, cedars, cypress, juniper spruce, ash and pines that are succumbing to environmental stressors which can, and most often does, lead to secondary stressors like disease and insects. I conduct many site visits each week looking at trees in decline. Trees have a vascular system called phloem… Read More →

Hypoxylon canker is a disease that appears as a dead lesion on limbs, branches, and trunks of affected trees. The canker develops just under the bark  and in advanced stages, causes a white rot decay of the sapwood. This decay contributes to tree mortality, compromises the structural integrity of the tree, and makes it a danger to life and property. Cause Caused by the fungus Hypoxylon atropunctatum, hypoxylon cankers attacks hardwood trees such as oaks and pecans. It causes infected bark to slough off the pecan tree revealing… Read More →

Are you ready to get a head start on spring’s arrival?  Pruning would be a great task for the next few weeks, with a few exceptions.   The questions started a couple of weeks ago. “Is it time to prune my roses?” “Can I trim up my trees down my driveway and around the house?”  This mild winter weather has everyone itching to get a head start on spring’s arrival, and pruning would be a great task for the next few weeks.  Let’s start by saying that the dead… Read More →

There are a lot of factors that go into a successful calving season, but the work is worth the effort. A strong, healthy calf can grow and move through the marketing chain, doing its job for everyone involved, or return to the herd as a replacement female prepared to be around for a good while. For profitability in a cow-calf enterprise, cows should be fertile and healthy, with almost all of them pregnant at the end of breeding season. The next step is having all those calves born… Read More →

New equations will better estimate protein utilization by beef cattle, benefit producers. Knowing exactly how beef cattle utilize protein is important to answering many nutrition questions producers and industry nutritionists pose to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service specialists like Jason Smith, Ph.D., Amarillo. Smith, an AgriLife Extension beef cattle nutritionist and associate professor in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Animal Science, works one-on-one with producers, AgriLife Extension county agents and other beef industry stakeholders throughout the High Plains of Texas. One of… Read More →

Some hay quality issues being reported. By Lawton Stewart, University of Georgia Extension Many beef cattle producers are about to start their calving season. Forage availability in many regions is variable. Some places saw severe drought in late summer/early fall, causing producers to feed more hay and deplete their winter hay supply. Other producers were able to put up plenty of hay. In Georgia, we have received several emails and phone calls dealing with hay quality being lower than expected this year. Entering the peak of hay feeding… Read More →

By Marty Morgan, Wise County Ag Extension Agent Well if needed, we are all looking for the best supplement to get our cows through the winter without adding extra labor or breaking the bank. First, if you have not tested your hay then how do you know what and how much to supplement. Get your hay tested! You might be pleasantly surprised that you need very little if any extra protein and energy for your cows this winter. If your hay test at least 8-10 percent protein and… Read More →

November 2023 Wise County Ag Newsletter Staying Wise With AgriLife Take a look at our November Wise County Ag Newsletter. https://mailchi.mp/1e28b9c74f28/ag-newsletter-12662868

October 2023 Wise County Ag Newsletter Staying Wise With AgriLife Take a look at our October Wise County Ag Newsletter.  We have a lot of great upcoming programs in this edition. https://mailchi.mp/b09941d26ecd/ag-newsletter-12654663

Once again it is time for our annual Wise County Hay Show.  You should always test your hay to know what the nutrient content is and know how to supplement the hay you feed to meet your cattle’s nutrient requirements, if a supplement is needed at all.  A lot of times we feed a supplement and it is not necessary because sometimes our hay is good enough to meet the protein and energy needs required.  Without a test we would never know that we didn’t need to supplement.  Besides… Read More →