El Niño & La Niña: What they Mean in East Texas             I am sure many of you like I, have been watching the weather channel and heard them state that the weather was being caused by either El Niño or La Niña. Each time I heard this I eagerly waited for them to explain what they meant, but they never did. Well, I thought it might be time to clear up what these two weather patterns really are and what they mean for us here in East… Read More →

If you are not seeing flies on your cows right now, you soon will be! Each Spring brings in rain, new grass growth and a new wave of flies. There are three main fly species that will impact your cattle; the horn fly, the face fly, and the stable fly. Flies can cause economic losses in many ways but their feeding and presence on the animal both negatively impact the weight and comfort of the animal making them less productive. As cattle try to rid themselves of the… Read More →

As the weather warms up, and Spring showers come in, there seems that everyone has at least one thing on their mind… Fire Ants! It’s inevitable that at some point you will see fire ants in your yard, but with good planning and control you can limit the numbers you have. Extension has developed what they call the “Texas 2-Step Method” when dealing with fire ants which does very well here in East Texas. 1) The first step is to broadcast a fire ant bait (a product containing… Read More →

Signs of Calving Over time we have all developed our own way of determining when a cow may be approaching her time to calve. Some good, some okay, and some of us just get a surprise when we see a new calf. It is important to know what time frame your cows should be calving and which one are about to start the process of birth called parturition. There are several things that we can be on the watch for to help us better narrow down that window… Read More →

Cooking with Compost Most if not all of us have enjoyed a well-prepared lasagna; comprised of many layers of various foods with different textures, and tastes that complement the next layer. Well a compost pile is no different. Using a wide range of materials placed in layers even going as far as to “cook” the pile you can certainly look at creating and maintaining your own compost pile the same as baking a good lasagna. Composting involves mixing yard and household organic waste in a pile or bin… Read More →

Enemies with Tails The wife screams while standing on the couch, the husband swings a broom hitting everything except what he aimed for and then comes the question, “Did you get it?”. Many of us have seen this situation or been in this situation before. While there are many methods to deal with rats and mice, the best is certainly not with a broom. During warmer months a person may have a rat/mouse issue but not notice it until the weather begins to cool. During the warmer months,… Read More →

That time of year is upon us once again. No, I am not referring to the holidays but talking about watching out for freezes that can possibly damage our plants. Freezes occur when the temperature gets at or below… you guessed it, 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Once at or below 32 degrees the plant has the possibility of being affected by freeze damage. When freeze damage occurs, the water that is in the plant, but outside the cells freezes. This places pressure on the cells, and can possibly cause… Read More →