Ropes for Less

It's been a while since our last post, mostly due to the fact that my time has been dedicated to our latest site developed. For a while now we have wanted to offer some form of online shopping which has now become a reality. As of Yesterday our first online store kicked off selling lariat ropes. The site is called Ropes for Less and exists for the sole purpose of selling ropes at a great price. I am sure that those of you who have come in the store recently have noticed an increase in our rope inventory. If you get a chance you should stop on by.


-chase

The Importance of Minerals

One of the most important things when it comes to feeding our animals is something that not many feed tags will show you. A balance of minerals in any livestock's diet can produce many advantages. Some of these advantages are a healthier immune system, better reproduction, and better grain digestion efficiency. Due to this, one of the best things you can do for your cattle and horses is to place them on a mineral program in order to maximize the efficiency of whatever grain products and hay that you are feeding. Here are some things to think about:

1. You may add a mineral supplement to your existing program. There are many products out there that can add good mineral content to any feeding program. The most important thing to remember when selecting a supplement is that it is a balance of minerals. Minerals function in a combined effort to promote the health of an animal, and any excess cannot be used and is simply passed through as waste.
   
2. Natural forage usually does not supply all of the mineral requirements of livestock. Using a balanced mineral diet can often reduce hay consumption because of an increase in digestion efficiency. Even if you choose not to feed grain products to your herd, a good mineral source can make a drastic difference in their health and your profit.
3. There are grain products out there that contain a balanced mineral package, though they are few. Some Purina Horse Products such as Strategy contain the necessary vitamins and minerals needed for a horse's health. Feeding the recommended amounts of these feeds often prove to be less expensive on a daily basis by having to only buy one product instead of playing the mixing game.

Pet Photos

Hey if you happen to be in Longview, Tx this weekend make sure you stop on by and get your Christmas photo taken with your furry friend. On Saturday December 13 from 10:00-2:00 our photographer friend, Stefanie Yoder, is coming over to team up with us in order to raise supplies to benefit the Humane Society. Just come in with your pet, and for 5 lbs. of dry dog food, you can have your Christmas Portrait taken. For more info:

http://acsjakesfeed.com/events.htm

Thanksgiving Barrel Race

We would like to thank everyone who came out this past weekend to the barrel race. It was a great success. We ended up having 327 runners. Overall we ended up paying out over $12,000. Thanks to our sponsors Professionals Choice, Equibrand, Courts Saddlery, and Wigwam Halters we gave out some great prizes. Overall everything went great and we look foward to putting on another great barrel race in the future. Congratulations to Abby Pursifull who won the 1D.

Colder Weather

It is definitely getting colder now and with that the forage grasses for our horses and livestock have shut down. To compensate for the loss of grass for cattle it is fairly easy to simply increase the amount during feedings, and as we all know feed more hay. For horses there are a number of ways to help maintain their fiber source throughout the winter months. As we all know, maintaining consistency and good quality in the Horses fiber source are the the keys to preventing colic. This is not always an attainable goal with hay. Not only this, but hay is not always attainable due to travel, availability, etc... To help solve this problem, Purina Mills has created a line of Horse feeds that they refer to as complete feeds. These feeds include Horse Chow 100 and 200, Equine Junior, Equine Adult, Equine Senior, and Horseman's Edge Complete. These feeds are designed so that if the recommended feeding rations are given to a horse, there is no need for an additional source of fiber or roughage. Not only do these allow for a more consistent fiber source, but with hay prices continuing to climb, they can also prove to save more dollars per day by eliminating the cost of roughage. Feel free to stop in or give us a call, and let us help you see if a complete feed would be a good idea for you and your horse.

-chase

Winter Pasture and Lawns

The motive behind the planting of winter pasture and the over seeding of lawns varies greatly from person to person. Finding the landowners goals is the initial step taken when choosing a seed variety to fit their needs. I run across many different goals including erosion control, growing calves, wintering cows, or simply a more eye appealing green look throughout the winter. Since these goals vary greatly so do the recommendations. For guidelines I normally give the the following advice:

Fall Grazing - Bob oats do a great job giving fall grazing for calves or cattle. Some problems that can arise can include too much rain, causing rust, too little rain causing poor tonage, or an early hard frost which can shut down a great oat crop. Many are tempted to plant ryegrass for fall grazing but end up dissapointed. Although ryegrass is best planted in the fall and will germinate it lacks vigor in the fall and winter but a good established ryegrass will flourish in the early spring through early summer in many parts.

Winter Grazing - Winter grazing can consist of many months depending on your area. In our area, east Texas, our winters can vary greatly. A well planned winter grazing season can last up to six months with adequate rainfall. A mix of Oats, Wheat or Rye, and Ryegrass can feed cattle all winter long. A common misconception of this planting method is not planting the full rate of each variety of seed. The proper rates are Oats - 80lbs/acre, Wheat/Rye - 80lbs/acre, Ryegrass - 25lbs/acre. Although you will be mixing these seed and they will be germinating close to the same time, their most active growing times are much different; therefore, you must plant each of them ate their full recommended rate.

Aesthetics - If you are simply going for a green look throughout the winter months, ryegrass is a great choice. When planted in the fall it will germinate fast and grow until it becomes too dry or the temperatures become too warm the next spring. There are many varieties of rygrass but the main difference between lawn and pasture ryegrass is the rate at which they grow. Because perinial ryegrasses tend to have finer leaves and do not grow as tall the are a great choice for lawns. In a pasture situation the differences and the leaf size, cold tolerance, and heat tolerence. Choosing the right variety can sometimes depend on the weather in your area.

-Burge

The Fall Farmer

Well, it is that time of year when all of the spring and summer plants begin to go dormant and for the winter plants and pastures to start growing. To prepare for this it is important to both take care of your warm climate plants for the cold weather, and to also make sure that if you have plans to plant winter pasture you have given the plants the best chance they can have.

Right now is the time that you should be putting down fertilizer with more phosphorous and potash in order to strengthen the root system so that they can have a good start next spring. Practically, this means when selecting a fall fertilizer for your lawn or pasture you choose one with a larger second and third number in the description. When fertilizer is described it is given in the description of three numbers (eg. 13-13-13, 15-5-10, etc...). These numbers correspond to the percentages of nitrogen-phosphorous-potash in the fertilizer. So when looking for a fall fertilizer make sure you select something such as a 10-20-10, 8-24-24, etc... Doing this will greatly help your lawn/pasture to establish well in the spring.

Check with us in a few days to read more about cold weather plants.


-chase